Coast Guard - April 21, 2010

Corporate Greed: The End of Us All

All religions have their ideas to the end of the world; and it’s some invisible supreme being of some sort that will decide when all will cease to exist (or whatever). They can’t comprehend that people can do the damage that can lead to the destruction of the world (or to our very livelihoods). And corporations are at the highest on a list of those that just don’t give a damn about hurting people or the environment.

You hear it. Pharmaceutical companies have a special drug, pay off the FDA in some way in order to get it to the market because it has some pretty serious side effects, such as liver failure (which can cause DEATH). From their own research they know the dangers, but when they see the potential to make billions, they don’t care about what it can do, (with the only downside is a few million bucks in lawsuits which would be just pocket change that they would normally have just wiped their ass with).

But this year is where it’s really starting to show, in terms of what happens when the government regulations that were in place are lessened because Republicans are lining their pockets with money from the Coal Mining industry or Big Oil. What Cheney did in terms of the energy policy is what caused the shit that has happened just this year. From the Coal Mine incident in West Virginia earlier this year to the largest environmental disaster in US history, the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. Nearly 90 days into it and reports that show negligence on BP’s part continue to pile up.

The oil industry is one that continues to profit, even with the economy like it is. They make billions and billions each year, and whatever profits they have been making, they invest in research to drilling deeper, but not smarter. Last year, BP didn’t pay one time into safety research and response plan for worst case scenario. And BP isn’t the only culprit, they are just the ones in the spotlight now because it was their rig (well, Trans Ocean’s rig, but BP contracts out to them, therefore, responsible for it). The other oil companies could just as easily have had that happened to one of their deepwater rigs in the Gulf, as they are practice business the same way. They even put out the EXACT emergency response plan that promised they can clean up and deal with the situation (which clearly they can’t), listing the mystical walruses of the Gulf of Mexico as potential animals that would be affected, and all even listed the same expert to contact who has been dead for several years before those plans were submitted. It is clear as day that they don’t give a rats ass about what would happen with a major oil spill.

And you’d think now they would be on board with actually investing in making rigs safer, but I doubt it. Not if you have Republicans apologizing to BP. Not if those same politicians are against cap and trade and anything to do with moving forward with newer energy technologies, instead of standing still with polluting and OLD technology. They support BIG OIL as BIG OIL supports them, as they stroke each other and laugh at the livelihoods they destroy, the wetlands that have been impacted, the birds and fish coated with oil, the beaches smelling so bad that no tourist would go to them, destroying businesses that rely on tourism and the jobs in the fishing industry. More importantly, the loss of lives, the eleven workers that were killed in the explosion, must not be forgotten. These people are trying to make a living, but the companies don’t care one bit about the safety and lives of their own employees.

As I said, yes, there are people that depend on these dangerous jobs. These energy industries that are polluting the world, trapping heat on the planet causing weather extremes (on both sides). But, we need to move away from oil. It’s not just the whole move America away from foreign oil (which is a flawed statement, as all oil goes to the same place, so, in fact, we can put as many oil rigs as we want, we’ll still be getting oil from somewhere else (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)). WE need to get rid of our dependence on oil. Replace these outdated industries and move into the future, creating new jobs. It’s the only way to guarantee complete independence.

So you can call those that want regulations on such companies that can cause these HUGE disasters a bunch of treehuggers all you want. It’s not gonna change that this is more than just polluted water (we drink, bathe, swim in) or smog covering the landscapes of major cities (hey, we have to breathe too). The spill proves that when it comes to drilling for oil, if something goes wrong, it’s not just the fish that pay, the people in Gulf states pay too. When either disaster occurs, there is loss of life (coal mining is still among the most dangerous jobs). But as long as big companies can keep getting by (when fines for not having a certain safety device is cheaper than said safety device), they’ll continue to say “screw safety” in order to maximize profits.

And Corporate greed is not just in energy, as stated earlier, drug companies put profits ahead of safety; Insurance companies turned down people with pre-existing conditions; car companies, if they were regulated like they should be, the whole Toyota brake thing probably wouldn’t have happened; Wall Street (don’t think I need to say more on that).

The more recent political news is the extension of unemployment (which I am now unemployed), where Republicans are going on say that can’t be done unless it’s paid for, but then turn around and say tax cuts don’t need to be paid for (Washington Post). They say we need to reduce the deficit, but support tax cuts on rich people, without PAYING for it. Rich people can afford to pay their normal taxes, they shouldn’t get a cut. This trickling down thing is bullshit, ’cause we all know when the rich get a tax cut, they don’t spend it and help stimulate, no, they pocket it, save it, hell, hide it in the Caymons. As for big businesses, they don’t create jobs. Seems more like their CEOs enjoy having jets and stuff. Give executives big ass bonuses, while the hard working Americans see nothing. In a perfect world, if a big company sees major profits, it should trickle down, but it don’t.

These are the things that need to be changed. This is what Obama wants, but the Republicans, the minority party, are blocking things that need to be done. So, stop deep water drilling, completely; extend unemployment; don’t bring back the Bush era tax cuts that helped turn a surplus to a deficit; push for cleaner energy; regulation is in order; oh, and can someone just dismantle Fox News, or at least duct tape their mouths shut?

Thank you for actually reading down this far, and I apologize as I’m not a professional writer in any sense.

[NEWS: as I was finishing typing, I went to MSNBC.com and saw that there is initially no leaking oil in during test of new cap. So if pressure holds, it should contain the oil 'til plugged. This would mean no more NEW oil in the water, but there is still TONS of it already out there, but if this does stick, then maybe there can be more focus now on cleanup. MSNBC.com Oil Coverage]

[EDIT AGAIN: thank you Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine for being Republicans with brains. They helped secure a 60-vote pass in the Senate for a Financial Overhaul bill. One Democrat opposed, saying it didn't go far enough (which would be the case just to get 3 Rep. in on it). The Dodd-Frank bill will make independent consumer bureau within the Federal Reserve to protect borrowers from lending abuses, establishes oversight of the vast derivatives market and gives the government power to seize and wind down large, troubled financial firms Washington Post article]